But Caro didn’t care. Not when it tasted like pure heaven sliding down her throat. She cradled the mug against her chest, luxuriating in the warmth it brought her.
Seraphim didn’t imbibe or eat anything without purpose. Her kind could survive on base nutrients alone, thereby not requiring luxuries such as chocolate. To indulge was considered impractical.
She took another sip and hid a grin. The decadent drink soothed her senses, which she determined to be a practical reason to enjoy it.
“Are you smiling?” Sethios asked, his head tilted in a curious manner.
“No.”
“And now you’re lying?” He chuckled. “Fascinating.”
She pulled the mug away from her mouth and settled it in her lap. “Where did Gabriel go?”
Caro expected him to still be here after her nap, rather instead it was just Sethios waiting for her with a steaming cup of hot chocolate. Her brain told her to refuse while her nose forced her acceptance, and oh, how she approved.
“To scout out Osiris’s estate. He wanted to see the security measures for himself. I suspect he’ll return once he realizes I was right about needing Ezekiel.” Sethios didn’t sound all that concerned. If anything, he appeared amused. “Can I get you anything else? Lunch, perhaps?”
Food didn’t really appeal to her. “Is there more hot chocolate?”
His green eyes flickered with an emotion she couldn’t name. “I can make more.”
“I’d find that acceptable.” And may even like it.
“Acceptable, hmm?” He stood and looked her over. “Well, if that’s our term, then I find your dress acceptable as well.”
“I was too hot for jeans,” she explained. “This was a more practical option.”
“Oh, on that, we agree.” He winked and turned toward the kitchen.
She frowned, not understanding the flirtatious tone he used. Caro didn’t much care for the short-skirted outfit, but she’d woken up in a state of such heat that she required something that allowed her skin to breathe.
Sethios had procured her a wardrobe shortly after they arrived, mostly consisting of jeans and shirts and a handful of summer dresses. She’d originally moved those to the back of her closet, having no desire to ever wear them. Alas, her body had required one today—a soft blue number that barely skimmed her knees.
So much for carrying my knives. The set Sethios had retrieved for her were adequate and currently in her nightstand. Her original plan of using them in retaliation against him seemed rather inconsequential in her current state.
She tucked her legs beneath her and finished her hot chocolate just in time for Sethios to bring her a new one in another mug. He took her used one without a word, then returned to stand before her.
“Should we talk about it?” he asked as he folded his arms.
Caro swallowed, feeling slightly intimidated by his height and the smolder in his eyes. She suspected that was the point. “What’s there to talk about? I’m pregnant.”
“Your initial reaction to the news suggested a conversation might be needed about the fate of our child.” His emphasis on the word our did not escape her notice, nor did the flare in his nostrils. “Not to mention the whole decision being made for you by your kind. Gabriel might find that normal—hell, you might as well—but I do not. You are your own being; however, this discussion should include me.”
“And what would you have me decide?” she asked, curious. Her mind was already set, but it’d be good to know what she’d be up against in this battle.
“I’m not interested in playing that game, angel.” He kneeled before her, his hands going to the armrests of her chair. “It’s your body and therefore ultimately your choice, but I will say this much. I’ve never wanted to be a father. It’s a role I never had reason to contemplate, nor was it something I ever desired.”
Her heart skipped a beat at the seriousness in his tone and the sincerity radiating from his eyes. His words were harsh, to the point, and exactly what she expected. Except for the part about it being her choice. Nothing in her life had ever really been up to her so much as up to Seraphim society.
“Caro,” he continued, voice softening. “Even though the thought of not seeing this through kills a part of me, I’ll endeavor to respect your preference.” He pressed his palm to her stomach. “But a life I helped create is growing inside of you, and that’s not something I could ever wish to destroy.”
She blinked at him. “You want me to keep the baby.” The words sounded foreign on her tongue, almost as if they’d been pulled out of her heart and forced into the air.
“I do, but I won’t choose for you.” He drew his thumb over her still-flat abdomen. “You believe this to be an abomination, I’m sure, but I view it as a miracle. It’s something I never even considered dreaming about, and while I wish it were under different circumstances, I’ll never regret it.”
“Abomination or not, the fated line predicted it and apparently my council expected it.”
A low growl emanated from him, confusing her. “Yes. We’ll come back to that.”
